Being in the midst of the holiday season, just like you I find myself busy and sometimes distracted. This is especially true when it comes time to prepare a nice and healthy meal to enjoy with family and friends. I enjoy the old standby recipes that I make year after year, but this can get a bit old at times. So I decided it was time to make some changes and reach out to some of the most talented chefs I know for some holiday recipe help. Chef Ivan Flowers a consulting chef, and former Executive Chef of Top of the Market San Diego, was kind enough to take the time to share this delicious and versatile recipe, and I wanted to present it to lucky you. The ingredients are simple, but the extra nuances that chef adds make for [...]

Sweet and savory, this spoon bread compliments of Country Cat in Portland Oregon is a new spin on an old recipe. A welcome change up to the old standard, this side works with just about any dish. And yes it does have bacon in it, but like anything this decadent, enjoy it in moderation. Imagery credit Portland Monthly Magazine. […]

Trillium Cafe is one of those places that you know once you enter, that the meal you're about to have will be special. We were seated at a cozy table next to a window that overlooked the garden. Many of the plants and flowers grown here are used in the food, and that speaks to the care that goes into every dish served here. I happen to love crab, especially the Dungeness variety, and this is exactly what I had. It was a Dungeness crab strudel with Meyer lemon marmalade. Yes it was pure heaven, the crab was fresh a little sweet and the lemon was the perfect foil to raise the bar without overpowering the delicate local crustacean. For my main dish I enjoyed the locally caught Salmon, that came out really hot, and yet was cooked perfectly, tender [...]

Chef Marc Dym of Little River Inn of Mendocino California was kind enough to share this amazing fresh seafood dish with us, because after enjoying this, and if he didn't I wouldn't leave the restaurant, just kidding. The entire dinner was a showcase of local ingredients gently prepared to let the natural flavors shine. This is no small feat either, because when it comes to fresh fish being so delicately flavored, it takes an adept hand to get is right, and Chef did in a big way. So without teasing you any longer here is the recipe, and I thank you Chef Marc on behalf of everyone who tries this, it is outstanding. For more pictures of the amazing dishes created here click on this Gallery link. And before you take that trip to stay, play and have a fine [...]

Valette, Healdsburg CA. Valette is a delicious new force in Healdsburg California. Located in the heart of Sonoma wine country two brothers Dustin Valette and Aaron Garzini made this dream a reality in March 2015. The menu is all about what this area has to offer on a seasonal basis, and the wine list is very impressive and well thought out (you are in Sonoma after all). Everything here is house made including the superb charcuterie, which is aged in a custom built “locker” above the kitchen built by Dustin and Aaron's brother. Yes beer was involved along with a challenge to build it. The precisely climate controlled environment needed for proper aging lets the finished product speak for itself. In what you might call a case of coming full circle or destiny, this building was owned by [...]

Top Of The Market Restaurant is literally that, located above The Fish Market Seafood Restaurant, A place where locals and visitors alike go to dine and can purchase fresh seafood. The water front location is beautiful and the Top Of The Market Restaurant (on the second floor) has commanding views of the harbor, and even better views of those San Diego sunsets. The dining area lined with teak, table settings with white linen and huge windows bring the outdoors in to you. Executive Chef Ivan Flowers and his team work in concert to serve the freshest seafood available. Although I highly recommend anything from the ocean here make no mistake, everything I tried was outstanding. Tasting Menu-Top Of The Market Restaurant-Photo Kurt Winner Chef treated us to a tasting menu that showcased what this kitchen can do, we were impressed. [...]

When exploring any new place the best advice is to go where the locals go to eat. As we continue our culinary tour of Southwest Louisiana we want to share with you some restaurants and food venues the locals love. In Lake Charles, Louisiana there is some amazing seafood and Boudin here. The Gulf Coast seafood in Louisiana is so prolific that everyone has to up their game if they want any chance of staying in business. The people of Lake Charles have always known the value of locally sourced ingredients and down-home cooking makes this part of Louisiana so special. In no particular order here they are. Casual, delicious dining at Steamboat Bill's Steamboat Bill’s Seafood Restaurant is a local icon, with three locations in Louisiana, we visited the Lakeshore drive establishment in Lake Charles. Lunch here can be busy [...]

The talent behind Borgne, Chefs John Besh and Brian Landry The Hyatt Regency New Orleans has two secret weapons in this food centric city. Multiple award-winning Borgne, voted one of the top eight "must try'' hotel restaurants in the United States is a Spanish influenced dining experience headed up by Chef John Besh and Chef Brian Landry. The philosophy here is Louisiana fresh Gulf seafood and it does not get any better than that. The Spanish influence goes back to when Louisiana was indeed a Spanish territory. But make no mistake, the menu here also offers traditional Louisiana cuisine including but not limited to oysters, shrimp, gumbo and turtle soup spiked with sherry. As I mentioned earlier fresh seafood is the strong suit of Borgne, on the menu you'll find garlic clove Louisiana shrimp with tomatoes, roasted eggplant and Fregola a round pasta similar to Israeli Couscous. Garlic [...]

Freshly caught Gulf fish served at Jack Daniel's Bar & Grill Tucked away in the southwest corner of Louisiana is a food lovers paradise. Consistently fresh seafood with an easy hospitality and Cajun influence all come together to equal more than the sum of it’s parts. Lake Charles, located in Calcasieu Parish, is a melting pot of French, African, and German immigrants that is purely reflected in it’s food culture. The food here shows the struggles of the people, and how so many of the food traditions have been handed down and melded through the generations. Cajun country people are frugal, and nothing goes to waste. In fact over time the recipes haven’t changed all that much, and they don’t have to as they remain classics. Nearly everything that I tried, was for the very first time, and I [...]

Three Restaurant & Bar of San Mateo California was a true joy to visit on our tour of this very diverse county. Chef owner Alicia Petrakis takes her food seriously so you can just sit back and enjoy a varied and delicious menu.